Pat Folan
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27 Dec 2024
SubChapter M Towboat Rules Six Years Later: "Scorecard is a Mixed Bag"
The more than half decade that has passed since the inception of the subchapter M towboat rule affords an up-close-and-personal look at how it is going. The scorecard is a mixed bag.More than six years ago, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) began inspecting towing vessels for compliance with the new towboat rules; specifically, 46 CFR Subchapter M. It has been a long road to compliance with many starts and stops, and much learning on both sides of the law.Has it been a success?
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30 May 2023
Retaining Gen Z in the Marine Industry
While people in all generations measured themselves against eternal factors—fellow employees, family, their industry, etc.—Generation Z is fixated on measuring themselves against the world as seen through social media. Coaching them will help them begin to turn inward and measure success against their own goals. One of the keys to retaining your Gen Z workers will be in positively coaching them.Coaching should provide positive feedback about employee contributions.
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27 Dec 2022
Training Gen Z in the Marine Industry
Gen Z is looking for a place to fit in the workplace. They are looking for a way to enhance their story while they are making a difference in the world. And you are looking for someone to fill a position. How does your need dovetail with their needs?Before we get into the training aspect, it is worth understanding who you are going to be training. What are your company’s core values? Are the people that you are hiring in line with them?What are core values?
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10 Nov 2022
Recruiting Gen Z in the Marine Industry
Who is Gen Z?Generation Z, according to the Pew Research Center, are the people born between 1996 and 2012. Gen Z is vastly different from previous generations. Some of the issues that have affected their perspective on life are COVID-19, the Great Recession and school shootings. They believe that stability is difficult to achieve and that worry and anxiety are at the center of their lives. They don’t…
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03 Sep 2021
Subchapter M: Is it Time to Press Pause?
For many, the path to Subchapter M compliance has been anything but smooth sailing. And while progress has been made through the growing pains, some feel it’s time for the U.S. Coast Guard to pump the brakes.A funny thing happened on the way to compliance. We all learned that nobody was quite ready for Subchapter M.Sure, we had gone through the law with a fine-toothed combed and had self-inspected vessels and trained crews…
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02 Dec 2019
REGULATORY REVIEW: Subchapter M
One Year In: Industry SME (Captain) Pat Folan weighs in from the front lines.It has been an interesting year for towing industry. As the new Subchapter M towboat rule rolled out, it didn’t take long to discover that the regulation wasn’t perfect. As stakeholders look ahead to what comes next, it is also helpful to take a look back at what went right, what didn’t, and more importantly – why.The U.S.
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15 Mar 2019
Sub M is here, now what?
Captain Pat Folan outlines the way forward, especially for the smaller towboat firms. It’s not rocket science, but it does involve common sense. July 20, 2018 came and went, and we are all still here – mostly. The reality of Sub M has begun to sink in and for some it signals the end of a business and career. The AWO RCP members, oil movers and early adopters are going to make it. But for some of the ‘Mom & Pops…
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28 Nov 2017
Leadership and Subchapter M
Earlier this year I was part of a safety meeting with several marine towing companies and the topic turned to leadership on our towing vessels. Companies are coming to the realization that many of their captains are not masters of the vessels. For years, the industry has taken control of the vessels from the captains and kept it in the office. I used to hear this lament from captains that I worked with in the nineties…
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31 Mar 2017
Surveys and Towing Vessels in a Post-SubM World
I ran tugs in the northeast for almost 20 years before I got the bright idea to go out on my own and start a tug company. Previously, I had worked around surveyors, performed a few rudimentary surveys on tugs and barges and then had to hire a surveyor when I found a tug I liked in New England. I quickly learned that words can kill your dream and a boat. I hired a competent surveyor from a respected firm.
